Drop front cabinet having tiltable bin



y 5, 1970 c. E. BROWN 3,510,188

DROP FRONT CABINET HAVING TILTABLE BIN Filed Sept. 15, 1967 .fi 2Sheets-Sheet 1 IIJVENTOR (Z1 W/VZ EEO/40V VMQ MM ATTORNEYS y 1970 c. E.BROWN 3,510,188

DROP FRONT CABINET HAVING TILTABLE BIN Filed Sept. 15, 1967 2Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR 4 40 0145 590W ATTORNEYG United States PatentUS. Cl. 312325 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A cabinet having abin tiltable forwardly and downwardly from the front thereof, the frontof at least part of the cabinet being the front of the bin. The bin isattached to the inside faces of two opposed sidewalls of the cabinet bytwo hinges each of which includes a first elongated hinge plate forpre-attachment to the bin, two elongated arms each having one endpivotally attached to an end of the first hinge plate, the two elongatedarms crossing, scissors fashion intermediate their length and beingpivotally secured at spaced points to a second hinge plate having atleast two elongated holes therethrough and at least an additionalcircular hole therethrough for securement of the hinge to the cabinetwhich allows adjustment of the bin with respect to the cabinet duringinstallation.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Cabinets having bins which tilt out from thecabinet fronts are commonly used for the storage of phonographic recordsand office files for convenient access, as soiled clothes hampers andfor other purposes. Generally, the cabinet front forms the front of thebin, or is secured to the front of a separately constructed bin. The binincluding the front are secured in a case or cabinet in such a mannerthat when the front is tilted out and down, for instance 30-90 degreesfrom the vertical, what was the open top of the bin, hidden from view bythe top and front of the case or cabinet, is tilted forwardly exposingthe contents of the bin for selective removal, or for deposit ofadditional articles in the bin.

Even with the assembly-line production of such cabinets, using massproduction techniques such as the jig predrilling of fastener receivingopenings, precutting of boards from dimensionally stable materials suchas those comprising exterior veneers adhesively bonded un der pressureto a multiple-ply core, a certain amount of difiiculty can be expectedin what is usually one of the last assembly operationsinstalling andhinging the bin to the cabinet. This final operation is of primeimportance, since no matter how well finished and handsome such acabinet is, and no matter that its individual parts are of high quality,it will not meet with consumer acceptance when the bin and cabinet frontare skewed with respect to the remainder of the cabinet. Who has notheard a variant of look how much it costs, and the door isnt even onstraight? Additionally, a skewed bin and cabinet front can causesticking during tilting, which may become progressively worse due tostress relief of unevenly stressed hinges or warping of wooden parts.Especially where the cabinet is made of veneered Wood, skewed mountingof a bin and cabinet front can result in chipping and marring of theveneer as veneered parts catch on one another during tilting of the binforwardly and rearwardly.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention seeks to overcome theproblems just outlined, by providing an improved hinge and method ofinstalling the hinge. The hinge has a first elongated hinge plate forpre-attachment to the bin, two elongated 3,510,188 Patented May 5, 1970arms each having one end pivotally attached to an end of the first hingeplate, the two elongated arms crossing, scissors fashion intermediatetheir length and being pivotally secured at spaced points to a secondhinge plate having at least two elongated holes therethrough and atleast an additional circular hole therethrough. The first hinge platesof two of the hinges of the invention are secured to opposite sides ofthe bin. Before the tiltfront bin is attached to the inside face wall ofthe cabinet, the two swinging arms of each hinge are crossed, and thentwo screws are placed in the elongated holes of the second hinge plateof each and attached to predrilled holes in the inside face wall of thecabinet. These two screws are run up loose and then the tilt-front binis adjusted in the cabinet, for proper backward or forward fitting. Whenthis is done, the screws in the elongated holes are run up tight andthen screws are put in the round holes of the second hinge plates andrun up tight to give extra strength and to hold it in positive position.The reason for the hinge swinging arms being crossed and having spacedconnections at the plate, is when opening and closing the cabinet eitherempty or loaded, these hinge arms move with a counterbalanced actionwhich distributes the heavy load on the hinge arms at all times, makingthe opening and closing of this cabinet easy, and allowing thetilt-front of the cabinet to stop at any position from closed, down tocompletely open at a degree position.

The principles of the invention will be further hereinafter discussedwith reference to the drawings wherein a prefered embodiment is shown.The specifics illustrated in the drawings are intended to exemplify,rather than limit aspects of the invention as defined in the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view from theleft of the front of a drop-front cabinet provided with hinges accordingto the present invention and shown having the bin thereof tilted outabout 50 degrees, parts being broken away to expose hidden detail;

FIG. 2 is an elevation view of the left hinge of FIG. 1, shown by itselfin an orientation corresponding to about a 15 degree tilt-out of thebin;

FIG. 3 is an elevation view, one a scale intermediate that of FIGS. 1and 3 of the outside face of the right end of the bin' and respectivehinge, showing orientation of these elements when the bin is tilted to afully closed condition; and

FIG. 4 is an elevation view similar to FIG. 3 but illustratingorientation of the hinge and bin end when the bin is tilted out 90degrees.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The cabinet 10 is, for instance,a phonographic record storage cabinet having a base 12, opposedsidewalls 14, 16 and a top 18 which together define an opening 20 forreceiving a bin 22.

The bin 22 includes a pair of generally triangular sidewalls 24respectively having front edges 26, bottom edges 28, upper inclinededges 30, rear corners 32 and top corners 34. The, bin 22 furtherincludes a bottom 36 and a front 38, which, in the instance depicted, isalso the cabinet front and extends above and laterally slightly beyondthe remainder of the bin.

To illustrate the scale of the figures, in the embodiment, the frontedges 26 are about 13.5 inches long, the bottom edges 28 are about 12.75inches long and the sidewalls 24 are each provided with a generallysquare cut-out or opening 40 about 4 inches across located about 2.5inches above the respective bottom edges 28 and 0.875 inch back from therespective front edge 26.

Three holes 42 are predrilled through the binside walls 24 about 0.6inch from each inclined edge 30 for mounting the first hinge plate 44 ofeach of the two preassembled hinges 46. The first hinge plates 44 aresecured to the exteriors of the respective walls 24, for instance viarivets 48 or nut and bolt assemblies, screws or the like secured throughthe holes 42 and through corresponding holes 50- in the first hingeplates 44.

Each hinge 46 first hinge plate 44 extends beyond the holes 50 and isprovided near each end with further holes 52, 54. Each hinge 46 alsoincludes a second hinge plate 56, shown being generally rectangular andhaving a truncated lower front corner 58. In the embodiment shown, thisassures that the second hinge plate will not" which is presented towardthe respective bin sidewall, the 7 top row of openings is shownincluding, from the front end thereaof, a horizontally elongated opening60, and three circular openings 62, 64, 66. These openings are allspaced horizontally from one another, the openings 60,

62 and 66 being counterbored from the face confront- I ing the viewer ofFIG 2 and the opening 64 being counterbored from the opposite face.Similarly, the bottom row of openings (is shown including, from thefront end thereof, two circular openings 70, 72 and a horizontallyelongated opening 74. These openings are all spaced horizontally fromone another, the openings 72 and 74 being counterbored from the faceconfronting the viewer of FIG. 2 and the opening 70 being counterboredfrom the opposite face. Thus the horizontal slots '60 and 74 are atdiagonally opposite corners of the second hinge plate.

The hinges 46 are each completed by a first elongated arm 76 havingopenings 78, 80 formed therethrough near opposite ends thereof and asecond elongated arm 82 having openings 84, 86 formed therethrough nearopposite ends thereof. The arms 76 and 82 are pivotally secured to thefirst and second hinge plates by means such as rivets 88, 90, 92, 94.Continuing the description from the viewpoint of FIG. 2, the opening 80of the arm 76 is superimposed upon the opening 64 of the second hingeplate and a rivet 88 installed therethrough having its head received inthe counterbore of the opening 64. The opening 52 of the first hingeplate is superimposed upon the opening 78 of the arm 76 and a rivet 90installed therethrough. The opening 86 of the arm 82 is superimposedupon the opening 70 of the second hinge plate and a rivet 92 installedtherethrough, head in counterbore. The opening 54 of the first hingeplate is superimposed upon the opening 84 of the arm 82 and a rivet 94installed therethrough.

It should be noted, with references to FIGS. 2-4, that the second hingeplate is framed by the opening 40 at all times, so that the openingsthrough the second hinge plate are accessible from within the bin.

The horizontally elongated hole 60, 74 in the second hinge platesprovided for adjustment of the bin when installing the bin in thecabinet. When variations in the machining or assembly of the bin unit orthe cabinet occur, and there is usually some variation when cabinet orbin parts are made of wood, these elongated holes allow adjustment ofalignment of the front of the bin during installation.

Prior to installment, circular holes corresponding in position to theholes 60 and 4 are drilled in the facing interior surfaces of the twosidewalls 14, 16 of the cabinet. The hinges 46 having already beensecured to the bin as aforementioned, the bin is next inserted in thecabinet and a screw is placed in each elongated opening 60, 74 andadvanced part way into the aforementioned predrilled holes in thecabinet sidewalls. The bin is then adjusted in the cabinet for properbackward-forward fitting. This done, the screws in the openings 60, 74are tightened and other screws are put in each of the round holes 62,68, 72 and run up tight into the cabinet sidewalls to give extrastrength and to positively hold the hinges in the selected position.

Again referring to FIG. 2, it should be noted that between 96 and 98 thehinge arm 82 is displaced toward the viewer, in the region 100, adistance equal to about twice the thickness of the arm 82 in order toaccommodate movement of the arm 76 beside the arm 82 as the hinge movesbetween its FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 orientations. A moments reflection willcause the realization that, since the arm 82 displaced portion 100engages the outside of the respective bin sidewall, and is displaced agreater distance than the thickness of the first hinge plate, there is aslight binding of the hinge pivot 94. This assures a desired tightnessof the hinge assembly which assists the counterbalancing action of thescissored arms 76, 82 in maintaining the bin at any angle of tiltbetween fully closed and fully open at which it is placed by the user.Of course, if no binding assistance were desired, this feature could beeliminated either by enlarging the notches 40 to receive the portions100; by increasing the thickness of the pivot joint at 94, such as byplacing a washer between the first hinge plate and the arm 82; or bydecreasing the extent, in a thickness sense, of the displaced portion100.

In the preferred embodiment, the hinges are constructed, for instance,of 0.10 inch thick steel plate.

It should now be apparent that the drop front cabinet having tiltablebin as described hereinabove possesses each of the attributes set forthin the specification under the heading Summary of the Inventionherein-before. Because the drop front cabinet having tiltable bin of theinvention can be modified to some extent without departing from theprinciples of the invention as they have been outlined and explained inthis specification, the present invention should be understood asencompassing all such modifications as are within the spirit and scopeof the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A drop front cabinet having drop front and a tilting bin secured tothe rear face of said cabinet front so as to move therewith; saidcabinet including opposed sidewalls defining a bin receiving openingbetween them, said bin having opposed sidewalls, said bin being receivedin said opening and being hinged to said both sidewalls by two hinges,one mounted on each of the bin opposed sidewalls; each of said hingescomprising: a first hinge plate having means thereon for securing thefirst hinge plate to the outside of one of said bin opposed sidewalls; asecond hinge plate having two horizontally and vertically spaced,horizontally elongated openings therethrough and at least one circularopening therethrough all for receiving screws or the like for securingthe second hinge plate to the inside of the corresponding one of saidcabinet sidewalls; a first hinge arm; first means pivotally securing thefirst hinge arm to the first hinge plate near one end of each; secondmeans pivotally securing the opposite end of the first hinge arm to thesecond hinge plate; a second hinge arm; third means pivotally securingone end of the the respective second hinge plate irrespective of tiltingof the bin, whereby the second hinge plates are accessible frominteriorly of the bin for establishing securement of the second hingeplates to the cabinet opposed sidewalls.

2. The cabinet of claim 1 wherein the first hinge arm extends betweenthe forward end of the first hinge plate and the upper rear region ofthe second hinge plate; wherein the second hinge arm extends between therearward end of the first hinge plate and the lower front region of thesecond hinge plate; and wherein the two horizontally elongated openingsthrough the second hinge References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS1,185,233 5/1916 Minnis 16-131 1,407,740 2/1922 Evans 16163 2,420,0105/194. Paxton et al. 312325 2,629,883 3/1953 Nowell 16163 2,723,41811/1955 Fritz 16131 plate are respectively located in the upper frontand 10 JAMES T, MCCALL, Primary Examiner lower rear regions of thesecond hinge plate; said at least one circular opening comprising threecircular openings arranged in a triangular pattern on the second hingeplate.

US. Cl. X.R. 16131

